“I’m tired of the critics,” the New York congressman said on Fox News, later adding, “I think what the media is probably looking for is they don’t want these restrictions put on, they don’t want the use of polygraphs outside the intelligence community. Basically they are, as I see it, they are afraid that they will lose their sources in the intelligence committee.”

King accused the media of “putting their own parochial interests … ahead of the national interest.”

“The media has its own agenda,” he continued. “We’ve seen what the media has done. The New York Times has put secrets on page one. The New York Times doesn’t care about American security on these issues. That is yellow journalism at its worst. I hope that sends [Sen. Dianne] Feinstein and the Republicans on the committee and in the Senate stand tough on this and don’t give in.”

Rep. King is right in one regard. Most journalists, being pro-transparency, are worried about losing their sources. But the unearthing of classified documents pertaining to critical matters of national security isn't "yellow journalism." In fact, it's the opposite. And the bill passed by the Senate Intelligence Committee late last month will make it significantly harder for journalists to do their jobs.

Moreover, as leading national security writer David Ignatius wrote last week, the "most damaging leaks" don’t necessarily come from U.S. intelligence agencies, which the bill seeks to crack down on. "They come from overseas, or they come from the executive branch, or they come, ahem, from Congress," Ignatius wrote. "The bill doesn’t address the real source of the leaks it seeks to halt."